Križe - Tolsti vrh (Ovčja pot over Kriška gora)

Access to starting point:
A) From the highway Ljubljana - Jesenice, take the Naklo exit, then continue driving towards the settlements Žeje, Spodnje and Zgornje Duplje to the settlement Retnje, where turn right towards the settlement Križe. Further on, drive past the NOB monument, Križe sports field to the parking lot by the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
B) From the highway Jesenice - Ljubljana, take the Podbrezje exit, then continue driving towards Ljubelj and Tržič. Before the Petrol gas station in Bistrica pri Tržiču, turn right and then drive into Tržič. When the road descends into the valley, continue sharply right in the direction of Pristava and Križe, further drive on the main road which leads towards Zgornje and Spodnje Duplje, leave the mentioned main road at the settlement Retnje, where continue left in the direction of the settlements Križe and Golnik. Further on, drive past the NOB monument, Križe sports field to the parking lot by the cemetery and the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue on the road towards the east, where the path first leads past the church, then past the post office, inn pri Benk and bakery to the crossroads at the chapel, where continue left in the direction of Pristava. The road then leads past the store Tušek market Markič, then we already notice the first mountain signposts for Gozd, Kriška gora and Storžič, which lead us right onto Planinska pot street. At crossroads through the settlement, follow the blazes, then the road loses its asphalt surface and enters the forest. A few minutes higher, at the crossroads of macadam roads, continue right, then gradually emerge from the forest, from where a nice view opens towards Gorenjska. After the panoramic section, the road becomes asphalted and brings us to the place where we join the road leading towards Gozd. Follow the road left, but walk on it only briefly, as the blazes lead right onto a cart track.
Leave the road at the small information board informing about the opening of Zavetišče v Gozdu. From the cart track, continue immediately twice left, so that the ascent continues on a forest path, which soon joins another cart track, on which we return to the asphalt road in a few minutes. Walk a few steps on the road, then a path from Tržič joins from the left, and to the right continues the footpath or cart track towards Zavetišče v Gozdu (straight on the road Koča na Kriški gori - steep path).
Continue on the right path (cart track), which initially runs parallel to the road and further leads past a trough with water. A bit further, leave the cart track, as the blazes lead left onto a somewhat steeper transitional path, which soon returns to the cart track, and then to the asphalt road. Follow the road right, and walk on it for a few more minutes, or until the place where on the right side we notice a large parking lot and next to it Zavetišče v Gozdu.
From the shelter, walk to the nearby church, then reach a marked junction, where a path from Golnik joins from the right. Continue left uphill on the increasingly poor road, which brings us to a junction in a few minutes. Here, take the left path (right Tolsti vrh, Mala and Velika Poljana and Storžič), which passes the water intake and continues on a cart track. Just a few meters further, the cart track brings us to the next junction. Continue straight on the cart track in the direction of Kriška gora (forest path), right the usual marked path. Here at the junction, the information board informs that we will continue on the path exposed to snow avalanches in winter time. The cart track ascending through the forest brings us after 20 minutes from the junction onto grassy slopes. Follows a short ascent to the place where the path brings us to the panoramic side ridge of Kriška gora. Here we encounter an orienteering loop. Continue on the right path, which ascends along the indistinct side ridge, on the southern slope of Kriška gora. Somewhat higher, the path brings us to the place where with negligible ascent we cross grassy slopes, after which the path brings us into a short stretch of forest. A little further, we reach a clearing, above which we notice the route of the cargo cableway. The path ahead ascends under the cableway all the way to the hut on Kriška gora.
From Koča na Kriški gori, continue on the marked path towards Tolsti vrh. The path just a few meters behind the hut turns slightly left (slightly right Gozd) and begins gently ascending across the grassy slope. After three minutes of walking, the path to Grahovše branches off almost imperceptibly to the left, while we continue on the well-trodden mountain path that continues along the main ridge of Kriška gora. Further on, the path retreats from the ridge several times to the right side, while the panoramic path mostly leads across grassy slopes. Somewhat further, the path returns to the ridge, which we reach right at the distinct notch, where a pathless path branches off left downhill to Grahovše.
The path ahead leads over the pasture fence, then bypasses Vrata (1591 m) on the right side. Higher up, the path returns to or along the ridge and for some time only gently ascends. After a few minutes of traversing, we arrive at the place where the path begins steeply ascending towards the forepeak of Tolsti vrh. From the forepeak, a nice view opens on all sides, and the path ahead leads for a short time along the narrower ridge. Follows some descent through the forest, then the path begins ascending again. Higher up, the forest thins, and the increasingly panoramic path brings us to Tolsti vrh.
Križe - Zavetišče v Gozdu 1:15, Zavetišče v Gozdu - Koča na Kriški gori 1:30, Koča na Kriški gori - Tolsti vrh 1:00

On the way: Zavetišče v Gozdu mountain hut (891m), Koča na Kriški gori mountain hut (1471m)